Mika Reiner Mayer

Mayer is an experienced counsel for life sciences companies and their investors. Since joining Cooley two years ago, she has led more than 100 IP due diligence reviews in deals ranging from venture investments to debt financings to partnerships to acquisitions.

She also advises high-growth medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on patent prosecution and strategy around revenue-generating products and technologies.

Clients include Allogene Therapeutics Inc., Intersect ENT Inc., Intuity Medical Inc. and Myovant Sciences Ltd., W.L. Gore & Associates, Vivo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, GE Ventures, Vertex Healthcare Ventures and Canaan Partners.

At Allogene, a spinoff of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., Mayer and her team led the IP diligence in 2018 in connection with a $300 million Series A financing deal with an investment consortium that included Two River, Vida Ventures, BellCo Capital, Gilead and the University of California. Allogene, based in South San Francisco, devises therapies engineered from the T cells of healthy donors to treat patients with hematologic cancers and solid tumors.

“The work we did for Allogene was particularly meaningful,” she said in an email. “We went from performing diligence on Pfizer assets to going public ourselves in a short amount of time.”

Mayer has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. “All patent attorneys are required to have a degree in a qualified science,” she noted. “From my perspective, nothing could prepare one better for this job than being able to overcome challenges while being a practical problem solver.”

She has represented Menlo Park-based Intersect ENT since its formation in 2003 through its 2014 IPO to the present. The company makes drug delivery products focused on the treatment of sinus-related conditions.

Mayer approaches her practice with a close eye on accuracy and detail. “Given that risk associated with a company’s patent position is often given significant weight in investments, it is important to get it right,” she wrote. “This is especially true in the life sciences industry, where a thoughtful patent strategy can impart significant company value.

“Conversely, having a poor position can be disastrous. Not all patent due diligence is the same,” she added. “However, I normally investigate three main areas: the strength of your patent position; infringement risks; and patent ownership issues.”

— John Roemer